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14th out of 104 books
—
454 voters
Heart of a Shepherd
by
Rosanne Parry (Goodreads Author)
When Brother's dad is shipped off to Iraq, along with the rest of his reserve unit, Brother must help his grandparents keep the ranch going. He’s determined to maintain it just as his father left it, in the hope that doing so will ensure his father’s safe return. The hardships Brother faces will not only change the ranch, but also reveal his true calling.
From the Hardcover...more
From the Hardcover...more
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
July 13th 2010
by Yearling
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Nov 26, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-gold-star-award-winner,
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
HEART OF A SHEPHERD is a beautiful book by first-time author Rosanne Parry. It draws the reader right into life on an Oregon ranch and into the life of a spiritual family dedicated to the land, their country, and one another.
Brother is the youngest of five boys raised on the family ranch. Soon, Brother will be gone to a high school boarding school, but for now it's up to him to help his father, grandpa, and grandma with the running...more
HEART OF A SHEPHERD is a beautiful book by first-time author Rosanne Parry. It draws the reader right into life on an Oregon ranch and into the life of a spiritual family dedicated to the land, their country, and one another.
Brother is the youngest of five boys raised on the family ranch. Soon, Brother will be gone to a high school boarding school, but for now it's up to him to help his father, grandpa, and grandma with the running...more
With his father shipped off to Iraq and his older brothers away, 11-year-old Ignatius "Brother" Alderman works with his grandparents to keep their Oregon ranch going, while coming to realize what he really wants to do with his life. Wonderfully moving story of a sensitive kid trying to do a man's job in a world that asks much of a person. The setting, in the Oregon plains surrounded by mountains, is beautifully depicted, with lots of ranch detail and much appreciation, by the characters, for the...more
I'm stubbornly giving this a 4th star, though I'm not sure how many kids will be attracted to or like this quiet tale of a 12 year old boy growing up on a modern day ranch in Oregon. Ignatius (called "Brother" by one and all) is the youngest of 5 motherless boys who live with their father and grandparents on a cattle and sheep ranch. At the beginning of the story, their father is shipping out (along with many of their neighbors) to a tour of duty in Iraq. The oldest 4 boys are variously on their...more
This is a quiet, sensitive book about a 12-year old boy who takes on some new responsibilities when his father is shipped off to Iraq.
It has a strong sense of family and a VERY strong sense of place.
It also does a great job of talking about spirituality in a very "un-didactic" way.
I think rural kids especially would love seeing themselves in a book like this one.
It has a strong sense of family and a VERY strong sense of place.
It also does a great job of talking about spirituality in a very "un-didactic" way.
I think rural kids especially would love seeing themselves in a book like this one.
Ignatius (everyone calls him "Brother") is the youngest of five boys and the only one left at home when his dad is called to fight in Iraq. He must help his grandfather keep up the ranch - tough work for any kid, but especially for Brother who has never felt called to the ranching life. As Brother gets through the year without his dad, he'll start looking for his own path in life.
This is a quietly powerful novel with a striking sense of place. Parry paints a perfect picture of the harsh beauty o...more
This is a quietly powerful novel with a striking sense of place. Parry paints a perfect picture of the harsh beauty o...more
A book like this, quiet and deep, is a rare find these days when so many books are fast-lane action all the way. Now I love a good thriller as much as anyone else, but books like "Heart of a Shepherd" are of equal merit.
The sense of place is strong and real. I love the way the main character, even though he is only eleven, thinks about important things and has a strong desire to do right. I believe more kids think like that than we give them credit for. I also like stories that include religion...more
The sense of place is strong and real. I love the way the main character, even though he is only eleven, thinks about important things and has a strong desire to do right. I believe more kids think like that than we give them credit for. I also like stories that include religion...more
In Brother's small ranching town everyone is military. Most of the adults are reservists, national guard or ROTC. When the Iraq war gears up the unit in his small town (who have only ever been deployed for a week or two at a time)are called up for an extended tour in Iraq. This practically guts the town of the adults, leaving the ranches to the children, some of the women and grandparents. Brother takes on the running of the ranch with his grandpa, his dad is deployed and his brothers are off to...more
Okay, this one was for my job as an elementary school librarian. It takes place on an Oregon ranch during the Iraq war. Brother(Ignatius) is in 5th grade and the youngest of many brothers. Mom left when he was young and is an artist in Italy. Dad's army reserve unit has just been called up so Brother is the only one left on the ranch with Grandma and Grandpa and a few hired hands. Although he is not sure his future is in ranching, Brother wants desperately to keep the ranch in good shape, in the...more
Ignatius is the youngest of five boys. Everyone just calls him "Brother" because Ignatius just doesn't lend itself to everyday use or a good nickname. The family lives on a remote cattle ranch in Montana or Wyoming. Past the eighth grade, kids have to go to school hundreds of miles away as boarders. All of Brother's brothers are away from home. Either attending high school, college, or in the military. It's just him, his dad, his grandparents, and a hired hand. Mom is mysteriously out of the pic...more
This is a nice, gentle read which I would recommend to sensitive readers and to parents looking for a wholesome choice. Brother, whose mother has left the family to paint in Italy, lives with his grandparents, father, and four brothers on an Oregon ranch. Actually, that's misleading...his four brothers are older and, although nearby, they are, for all intents and purposes, not living at home. When Brother's father is sent to Iraq to command a troop, Brother is left to mind the ranch along with G...more
Ignatius, called Brother since he's the youngest of 5 brothers, wonders what his place will be in the world. All the boys in his family go into the military out of college and then presumably into ranching. In college they major in subjects which will be useful in the Army. Brother's mother lives in Rome and is rarely in contact, his father is in Iraq with his reserve unit, his oldest brother is stationed far away, and the others are away at school. Right now Brother is in 6th grade in a 2-room...more
Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry (2009)
Contemporary Fiction, 176 pages
Taking care of an entire farm is tough work, but for sixth grader Brother, the pressure is on as the only remaining son to help his grandparents run their Oregon ranch while his father is deployed in Iraq and his brothers are away. Tender-hearted Brother shares his thoughts on being a man and shows that he knows more about ranching than his self-confidence lets him admit. Dealing with the desperate need to grow up to be li...more
Contemporary Fiction, 176 pages
Taking care of an entire farm is tough work, but for sixth grader Brother, the pressure is on as the only remaining son to help his grandparents run their Oregon ranch while his father is deployed in Iraq and his brothers are away. Tender-hearted Brother shares his thoughts on being a man and shows that he knows more about ranching than his self-confidence lets him admit. Dealing with the desperate need to grow up to be li...more
This little book touched on a lot of themes: the hardness of life on a ranch, deployment of a parent in the Iraq war, finding one's place in a family, spirituality (grandmother is Catholic and grandfather is Quaker), nonviolence, the challenges of growing up and finding one's path, immigrant laborers, the tragedy of war, the unpredictability of nature, loss, death... If anything, it seemed to be trying to do almost too much. Still, I liked this book and found myself fighting back tears a number...more
It's rare that I read a book and think, "This book could win the Newbery." But this was definitely one of those books.
When the publisher's box came, I set this one aside to read. It called to me in some way. But I kept putting off reading it. It is not my thing at all - ranchers, military families? Not my type of reading. But still I didn't take it off my pile. Once I finally picked it up, I couldn't believe how gripping the story and the character of Brother was.
Brother is the youngest of 5 boy...more
When the publisher's box came, I set this one aside to read. It called to me in some way. But I kept putting off reading it. It is not my thing at all - ranchers, military families? Not my type of reading. But still I didn't take it off my pile. Once I finally picked it up, I couldn't believe how gripping the story and the character of Brother was.
Brother is the youngest of 5 boy...more
Eleven-year-old Ignatius is the youngest of five sons, which is why everyone just calls him Brother. Growing up on a ranch in slightly populated Malhuer County, Oregon, Brother feels he has always been overshadowed by his older more capable brothers, who have always been around to do the hard work of ranching along with his dad and grandfather. But now his dad is leaving, his military reserve unit called to serve 14 months in Iraq, and the older sons are either away at boarding school, college o...more
This book was recommended to me by a friend/author, and so the bar was set high when I received it in the mail. I was not disappointed. I have read a few books about kids whose parents are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan (trying to seize the moment of TIMELINESS, I suppose). However, the twists in this plot make it a stand-out favorite. Set on a rural working ranch, Brother is the youngest of five boys striving to find his niche in the world. At just twelve years of age, he is thrust into a very...more
1 like · like · see review
Within the first several years after the beginning of the second U.S. war in Iraq, novels for readers of all ages began to emerge that featured themes related to the war. In my view, Rosanne Parry's Heart of a Shepherd is one of the best and most insightful of these books.
Right from the captivating open sequence it is clear that there is a lot of unique power to this book. Brother's description of the chess game that he is playing versus his grandfather comes vividly alive with the thoughtful...more
Right from the captivating open sequence it is clear that there is a lot of unique power to this book. Brother's description of the chess game that he is playing versus his grandfather comes vividly alive with the thoughtful...more
Loved the picture of this boy's life in rural Oregon, and the hardships he faces as his dad goes off to Iraq with the Reserves. His older brothers are gone, too; one's in the service and 2 are at boarding high school--the local school is only two rooms, K-8. Brother (his real name is Ignatius) has to take up the chores and responsibilities of running the family ranch with his grandparents. His mom left for Rome years ago--she's an artist.
Told in episodes, titled as months, nearly one per month (...more
Told in episodes, titled as months, nearly one per month (...more
No kid is ever going to want to read this.
This was the story of a farming/ranching family who lives in rural... Oregon? The mom has left the family, and the dad gets sent to Iraq. That leaves the 6th grader and his grandparents to run the farm/ranch, as the four older brothers are at boarding school, college, or the army.
This book was pretty slow. Parts of it were gross, like when the kid birthed the calf. I've never wanted to raise cows, and now that has been solidified.
I feel like the author t...more
This was the story of a farming/ranching family who lives in rural... Oregon? The mom has left the family, and the dad gets sent to Iraq. That leaves the 6th grader and his grandparents to run the farm/ranch, as the four older brothers are at boarding school, college, or the army.
This book was pretty slow. Parts of it were gross, like when the kid birthed the calf. I've never wanted to raise cows, and now that has been solidified.
I feel like the author t...more
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Ignatious "Brother" Alderman lives the "typical ranch/farmer life" with his grandparents, older brothers, and father in eastern Oregon. Everyone in his family has served or is currently serving in the military, and when his father is ordered to deploy to Iraq, and his brothers venture off to other commitments, "Brother" takes on the responsibility to watch over and manage the farm until his family returns.
"Heart of a Shepherd" started out fairly dull to me. My interest in...more
Ignatious "Brother" Alderman lives the "typical ranch/farmer life" with his grandparents, older brothers, and father in eastern Oregon. Everyone in his family has served or is currently serving in the military, and when his father is ordered to deploy to Iraq, and his brothers venture off to other commitments, "Brother" takes on the responsibility to watch over and manage the farm until his family returns.
"Heart of a Shepherd" started out fairly dull to me. My interest in...more
Feb 12, 2011
Beth Nieman
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
9 and up (also adults); boys
Recommended to Beth by:
Charlie Cooper
Shelves:
land-of-enchantment-award
Well-written account of a 12-year old boy, nicknamed "Brother," living in Oregon and learning to be a rancher; when Dad and his National Guard unit are called up to go to Iraq, the boy and his grandparents take over running the homestead. I loved the scenes that took place at the school and the church. The author has a talent for getting readers into the mind and heart of this young man. The story moves along well, the characters are fleshed out and believable, and the ending is satisfying. Alon...more
Heart of a Shepherd
by Rosanne Perry
When I was in college, guys in my class were called up to go fight in Desert Storm. Right in the middle of the semester these guys had to quit going to school and go to war. I was really freaked out by that because they were my classmates and some of them my friends. Have you ever known someone who had to go to Iraq? If so, you may relate to this book even better than me. Brother, the son of a long line of soldiers, is left to run the family farm in Oregon with...more
by Rosanne Perry
When I was in college, guys in my class were called up to go fight in Desert Storm. Right in the middle of the semester these guys had to quit going to school and go to war. I was really freaked out by that because they were my classmates and some of them my friends. Have you ever known someone who had to go to Iraq? If so, you may relate to this book even better than me. Brother, the son of a long line of soldiers, is left to run the family farm in Oregon with...more
I started Rosanne Parry's book Heart of a Shepherd at 9:30pm and didn't go to sleep until I'd finished it that same night. This is a heartwarming coming-of-age story about Ignatius, a pre-teen boy facing the biggest challenge of his life. His father is called up to serve in Iraq and his older brothers are off at school or serving in the military. Ignatius (known as Brother) must manage the ranch with his grandparents and the hired hand. Battling the fear and sorrow around having his father away...more
I have to admit, it took me quite a while to warm up to this story, but in the end it proved gripping, emotional and powerful. "Brother" is, at 11 years old, the youngest in a spiritual family of military men and ranchers in rural Oregon. His mother left years earlier, his brothers are off in the military or boarding school, and his father has just been called up for active duty in Iraq. That leaves Brother and his grandparents to keep it all together, and they're not as young as they used to be...more
In present-day rural Oregon, 11-year-old Ignatius “Brother” Alderman is forced to face the world when his divorced father is deployed to Iraq. Alone with only his grandparents and a hired hand, Brother must take charge of the ranch, keeping the promise he made to his father: the ranch will be the same way he left it when he returns. But as the months go on, Brother learns that he was not meant to be a rancher, and he wonders if his father will ever come home. With threats and disappointment sur...more
1 like · like · see review
I loved this quiet, powerful story. I loved that the characters are ones you don't often see in contemporary fiction: Brother is the youngest of 4 or 5 boys; he lives with his dad and grandparents on a ranch in eastern Oregon. All of his brothers are either in the military or will be enlisting soon and his father is in the Reserves and is being shipped out to Iraq along with many of the adults in their farm community. That's how these folks survive ranching in this day and age -- by enlisting in...more
3 1/2 stars. A debut novel. A 2012 Rebecca Caudill nominee.
When his father's army reserve unit ships off to Iraq, 12-year-old Brother is left to mind the family's Oregon ranch with his grandfather, grandmother and an itinerant farmhand. The responsibility of helping to keep the ranch running and worry over his father safety in a war zone weigh heavily on Brother. His loving family's closeness and their strong spiritual life help Brother through the many months of his father's absence and some ma...more
When his father's army reserve unit ships off to Iraq, 12-year-old Brother is left to mind the family's Oregon ranch with his grandfather, grandmother and an itinerant farmhand. The responsibility of helping to keep the ranch running and worry over his father safety in a war zone weigh heavily on Brother. His loving family's closeness and their strong spiritual life help Brother through the many months of his father's absence and some ma...more
Feb 17, 2010
Belinda
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone!!!
Recommended to Belinda by:
VSBA 2012 Reader
Shelves:
5-star-titles
2-17-10
I just finished reading Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry. If you have not already read this book you must stop immediately whatever you are doing, buy a copy – buy several; you’ll be glad you did – and read it. It is the most poignant, touching, frightening, strong, patriotic, funny, lyrical, spiritual, sad, celebratory, triumphant, brilliant bit of literature I have held in my hands in a long time; perhaps ever. Boys are going to love this story because of the way it will speak to th...more
I just finished reading Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry. If you have not already read this book you must stop immediately whatever you are doing, buy a copy – buy several; you’ll be glad you did – and read it. It is the most poignant, touching, frightening, strong, patriotic, funny, lyrical, spiritual, sad, celebratory, triumphant, brilliant bit of literature I have held in my hands in a long time; perhaps ever. Boys are going to love this story because of the way it will speak to th...more
Everyone changes in the face of war. Brother’s family is no exception when his father is called to active duty in Iraq. While is siblings are away at school and in army training, Brother is left at home alone with his grandparents to run the ranch. At night after putting in a man’s day of work Brother watches the stars for the Herdsman constellation, picked by Brother and his father to watch over the family. While Brother strives to keep the ranch running perfectly, he falls into greater tragedy...more
As we celebrate Memorial Day, I'd like to take a moment to think about the families who have sent fathers, sons and brothers to fight in war. The Heart of a Shepherd, by Rosanne Parry, tells the story of an twelve-year old boy whose father is sent to fight in Iraq with the rest of his reserve unit. I was very moved by this story, especially because it shared with me a perspective that is so far away from my experiences here in Oakland, and yet such an important part of our American experiences i...more
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Rosanne Parry is the author of the novels Heart of a Shepherd, Second Fiddle, and Written in Stone, all published by Random House. She also wrote the picture book Daddy's Home.
Heart of a Shepherd was a Best Children's Book of the Year for the Washington Post, a Best Book of the Year for Kirkus Reviews, and a Horn Book Fanfare Book in 2009. It received the Rodda Award from the Church and Synagogue...more
More about Rosanne Parry...
Heart of a Shepherd was a Best Children's Book of the Year for the Washington Post, a Best Book of the Year for Kirkus Reviews, and a Horn Book Fanfare Book in 2009. It received the Rodda Award from the Church and Synagogue...more
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“A person can live a little bit broken...Most of us do, I guess.”
—
14 people liked it
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Dec 30, 2009 08:09am